Indonesia politics: Quick View - Election campaign kicks off

On September 24th the campaign period for the April 2019 presidential and legislative elections officially began.

Analysis

In his declaration speech, the chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Arief Budiman, said that the campaign period should run peacefully and be free of religious biases. However, we expect both of the main presidential candidates to rely heavily on identity politics in their campaigns. The incumbent president, Joko Widodo (known as Jokowi), surprised his liberal support base by choosing Ma'ruf Amin, a religious cleric, as his running mate in August. Meanwhile, his opponent, Prabowo Subianto, recently signed a "political contract" with the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council's Fatwa (GNPF‑MUI), a hardline Islamic group.

The influence of Islam on Indonesian politicians' rhetoric and the development of public policy has grown in recent years. The gubernatorial elections for the capital, Jakarta, in April 2017 highlighted the extent to which identity-related issues could gain importance over technocratic reform. In those elections, the reformist incumbent governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (known as Ahok), who comes from the minority ethnic-Chinese Christian community in Indonesia, was sidelined by conservative Muslim groups backed by Mr Subianto. Unlike Ahok, however, Jokowi has chosen to appease the Muslim majority. By doing so, he risks losing the backing of his liberal support base, although this does not make up a significant proportion of the electorate.